


Uncomfortable

by pylades



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, pulitzer family feelz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 17:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3659343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pylades/pseuds/pylades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the first time he’s ever seen her like this. Not in a shirtwaist and skirt or a serviceable dress with mud on the hems, but in silk and beads. And she did this thing with her hair, like the women he’s seen on the cover of lady periodicals. Her neck is bare and pale and, unlike the rest of this crowd, unadorned by shiny jewels. He can’t give her those things, even if she wanted them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uncomfortable

Jack has never been more uncomfortable than he is at this moment.

And that’s sayin’ something. 

But this party, this damned suit, this is worse than anything he’s experienced in the past. And he once walked ten city blocks with a broken ankle and a shoe swollen ‘round his foot.

He could use one of those bubbly glasses, but Jack’s half-afraid that if he reaches for one, they’ll all end up falling to the ground. Or his clumsy fingers will snap the delicate crystal stems. Or he’ll just … make an ass outta himself some other way.

Instead, Jack tucks his hands behind his back (the better to hide the paint stain he hadn’t been able to scrub off) and scans the room for the one person who can make the panic go away.

And then he sees her, sweeping through the crowd gracefully (she was born to it, this was no surprise), the tiny beads and crystals in her dress catching in the light. Her dress and his suit, they cost more than they usually spent on three months’ rent, but Katherine’s ma had insisted. If they were going to ask this group for help, they needed to look like they fit here. So they’ve both dressed the part, Katherine wrote her passionate speech appealing for funds and help, and Jack painted grim images of the orphanage and the children that they wanted to help with this group’s money. His suit is strangling him, but she’s gorgeous.

This is the first time he’s ever seen her like this. Not in a shirtwaist and skirt or a serviceable dress with mud on the hems, but in silk and beads. And she did this thing with her hair, like the women he’s seen on the cover of lady periodicals. Her neck is bare and pale and, unlike the rest of this crowd, unadorned by shiny jewels. He can’t give her those things, even if she wanted them.

It was easy sometimes to feel sorry for himself and worry that she’d made a mistake choosing him over a fella like Bill Hearst. Hearst’s lady was covered in pearls.

"You look lost in thought."

He turns to see Mrs. Pulitzer standing behind him, a tiny smile on her face. 

"Oh, just - uh - watching the crowd."

The lady of the house reached for his arm, gently steering Jack out of the corner he’d hidden himself in. “More than that, Mr. Kelly. I recognize that look of fear on your face. You’re worried that you don’t fit in here, you’re terribly uncomfortable.”

"Well -"

"I don’t know if Katherine has ever told you this, but when he first came to this country, my husband had little more than the shirt on his back."

"No, ma’am. Kath - well, we don’t talk about Joe too often." It’s probably not a polite thing to say, but it is honest, and Mrs. Pulitzer’s smile grows wider.

"Oh, you don’t have to explain that to me. In any case, I watched my husband try to find a place for himself at these events when we were first married. For Joe, at least, his bluster allowed him to force his way into the crowd." She reached for a glass of champagne and passed it to Jack, before taking a second. "You don’t need to worry about what people think of you if you TELL them what to think. Be brave and you’ll do just fine." His mother-in-law lifted her glass in toast and Jack mimicked her, taking a quick drink. "Now, bluster your way over to your wife."

It wasn’t proper at all, but he leaned in, giving his mother-in-law a peck on the cheek. “I owe you.”

"No, dear, I owe you. You’ve made my daughter very happy." And with a wink, she added. "And you drive my husband absolutely mad."

Jack grinned and did as she commanded, making his way through the crowd to Katherine’s side. Where he belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> (Not a new work, but rather a 'oh shit! You keep posting things on tumblr and forgetting to put them on AO3!')


End file.
